World History CP Semester II Assessment 2023-24

Study Guide for World History CP - Semester II Assessment 2023-24

Thresholds 1-8: Narrative of Big History

Big History and Key Concepts

• Big History is an interdisciplinary approach to history that spans from the Big Bang to the present, integrating insights from various fields.
• Three essential elements for complexity to emerge: Ingredients, Goldilocks Conditions, and Emergent Properties.
• Ingredients are fundamental elements needed for complexity, such as hydrogen and carbon.
• Goldilocks Conditions are conditions that are "just right" for complexity to emerge, like temperature and pressure.
• Emergent Properties are new properties that arise when simpler entities interact in complex ways.

Threshold Formula

• Thresholds are key moments in history where new levels of complexity emerge.
• Examples of Thresholds include the Big Bang, star formation, emergence of life, and human evolution.

Laws of Thermodynamics

• The 1st Law of Thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed.
• The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics states that entropy, or disorder, increases over time.
• The Big Bang is an example of the 1st and 2nd Laws of Thermodynamics, where the universe begins from an infinitely dense point, expanding and cooling to form stars and galaxies.

Unit 6: Threshold # 7 - Agrarian Civilizations

Agrarian Civilizations

• Agrarian Civilizations are societies based on agriculture and settled living.
• Chinampa Agriculture is a type of Mesoamerican agriculture using small, rectangular areas of fertile arable land.
• Domestication is the process of taming animals and cultivating plants for human use.
• Teosinte is a wild grass considered to be the ancestor of maize.

Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China

• Mesopotamia is the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, known for early city-states and the invention of writing (cuneiform).
• Egypt is known for the Nile River civilization, hieroglyphics, and monumental architecture like pyramids.
• China is known for early dynasties like Shang and Han, advances in bronze work, writing, and centralized governance.
• Mesopotamia developed one of the earliest forms of writing, cuneiform, around 3400 BCE.

Unit 7: Expansion and Interconnection

Major Explorers

• Marco Polo was a Venetian explorer who traveled to Asia and documented his journey.
• Ibn Battuta was a Moroccan explorer who traveled extensively in Africa, Europe, and Asia.
• Zheng He was a Chinese admiral who led voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, and East Africa.

The Silk Roads

• The Silk Roads were ancient trade routes connecting the East and West, facilitating cultural, commercial, and technological exchanges.
• Marco Polo's travels to China and the court of Kublai Khan were recorded in "The Travels of Marco Polo," influencing European knowledge about Asia.

Unit 8: Threshold # 8 - Modern Revolution

Industrial Revolution

• The Industrial Revolution was a period of major industrialization during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
• The Steam Engine revolutionized transportation and manufacturing processes.
• Social Consequences of the Industrial Revolution included urbanization, changes in labor systems, and social class structures.
• The development of the Steam Engine by James Watt significantly boosted productivity and economic growth.

Anthropocene

• The Anthropocene is the current geological age, viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment.

Unit 9: Threshold # 9 - The Future

Complexity and the Future

• Understanding how past trends can help predict future developments.
• Colonizing Mars involves exploration and potential settlement on Mars.
• Transhumanism is the belief in the enhancement of the human condition through advanced technologies.

Sustainability and Global Trends

• The Greenhouse Effect is the warming of Earth's atmosphere due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases.
• Carrying Capacity refers to the maximum number of individuals that an environment can support.